When I was just a girl of seventeen, I received a valentine from a young man who had been a best friend since beginning high school. It included a handwritten version of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s famous love sonnet.  At the time, I had no knowledge of her authoring this beautiful poem, and assumed the boy giving it to me was the writer.  Of course I was swept away by the beautiful words, believing they came straight from his heart.  He finally admitted to his plagiarism, but it didn’t matter.  He had taken the time to write the wods down on paper, in beautiful cursive handwriting and I knew then and there that he was the man for me.

The rest is history.  This boy had been my friend since we were 13 years old. 

I still love him with a passion that has never died.  A passion that comes from years of growing together as one person.  The kind of love that develops from trial, maturity, pain and suffering, endurance, perseverance, common goals and a mutual faith.

I’ve known this man for 65 years and each day I discover something new about him.  That’s 569,400 hours.  You wouldn’t think anything would be new in that amount of time, but every day is packed full of surprises.

Back in the 70’s there was a movie called, “Love Story.”  A modern day “Romeo and Juliet,” with a twist. One of the memorable quotes from that movie was, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” Let me tell you, loves means saying you’re sorry over and over again.  When you truly love someone, you never want to disappoint or hurt them.  When your love is bound by God, you’re joined by the One who forgives all wrongs when we come with repentance hearts.  Our love for each other should mirror that forgiving nature.

Love doesn’t just happen. It takes time to grow and be nurtured along the way.  If your life is guided by God’s love and you place your complete trust in His path for your life, you will be blessed in more ways than can ever be counted.